Electric connector



9 2 19 3 w. E. FLADD 2,332,846

I ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed June 22, 1942 Inventor: Walter- E. Fladd,

by MM is vtrtzorwweg Patented Oct. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Walter E. Fladd, Milford, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 22, 1942, Serial No. 447,893

4 Claims. (Cl. 173-322) Myinvention relates to wiring devices and more particularly to an improved strain relief. My invention is particularly well adapted for use in connection with wired fabrics such as those em ployed in the manufacture of electrically heated blankets, pads, and the like.

In Heiser et al. Patent No. 2,317,189, dated April 20, 1943, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, is described and claimed a strain relief particularly adapted for use with wired fabrics in which a body of insulating ma terial provided with flexible flanges is sewed between the layers of the wired fabric. The present invention is in the nature of an improvement on the arrangement disclosed in the above patent and has for its principal object the provision of a simpler and more economical strain relief particularly adapted for use with wired fabrics.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the present invention applied to an electric blanket; Fig. 2 is an. exploded view in perspective showing the details of construction of the strain relief of the Present invention; Fig. 3 shows the relative positions of certain of the parts just prior to final assembly thereof, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the assembled strain relief.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown my invention applied to an electrically heated blanket H! as a means for making electrical connection with a power supply which may be provided by a conventional attachment cord 1 I having a plug cap I2 including spaced contact prongs l3. The body M of the strain relief is provided with a peripherally extending flange 15 which is positioned between the layers of the fabric comprising the blanket and sewed thereto as illustrated at I6 in Fig. 1. The body I4 is preferably formed of insulating material, such as resilient rubber or similar compound, which may be readily molded in suitable shape. As shown in Fig. 4, the body of the strain relief I4 is provided with a recess ll opening on one face of the body and with longitudinally extending apertures I8 which extend from one end of the body ll to an end wall of the recess H. The apertures l8 are provided to receive cylindrical contact members I9 which are to be permanently connected with the conductors of the electric blanket and detachably connected with the contact prong I 3 of the attachment plug cap l2. In order to prevent the exposure of conducting parts the contacts I 9 may be terminated a little short of the end of the body ll, if desired.

In the drawing, the conductors of the wir d fabric have been illustrated as comprising flexible insulated conductors 20 and 2| having bared end portions received within one end of each of the cylindrical contacts 9. The connections between the conductors 20 and 2! and the contact members 19 are preferably soldered, as illustrated at 22, in order to insure a good permanent elec trical connection. In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, an improved and simplified arrangement is provided for maintaining the relative positions of conductors 20 and 2| and contacts is and thereby to prevent the electrical connections therebetween from being subjected to tensile stress during use of the blanket Or other device with which the strain relief is associated. In accordance with this feature of my invention I provide a member 23 preferably formed of rigid insulating material and which comprises a base portion 24 and an upstanding web portion 25 of substantially T- shaped longitudinal cross section. The head of the T-shaped web is provided with spaced slots 26 which provide means for receiving the contact members i9. As illustrated, the contact members are provided with a portion of reduced cross section 21 near the inner end thereof to provide spaced shoulders for engaging the web adjacent the slots 26 to secure the contacts Hi from longitudinal movement with respect to the member 23. The conductors 20 and 2! are passed through openings 28 formed in the base 24 of the member 23 and knotted on the upper side thereof as shown at 29 to prevent any tension from being transmitted to the connection between conductors 20 and 2! and the contact members 19.

In assembling the strain relief in an electric blanket or similar device, the conductors 20 and 2| are first passed through the openings 28 and knotted. The bared ends are then inserted within the contacts l8 and soldered thereto. The contacts I! are placed in position with the reduced portion 21 of each contact in one of the slots 2:; as shown in the left-hand portion of Fig. 3. The body portion H of the strain relief is then grasped in the hand and folded back upon itself to expose the ends of the apertures 18 which communicate with the recess H. In this way it is possible ta insert the sub-assembly comprising contact members' l9, conductors 20, 2|, and the insulating sup porting means 23 in the body of the strain relief by sliding the contact members l9 into the apertures Id. The body of the strain relief is then released and returned to its original shape so that the parts have the relative positions shown in Fig. 4 with the base 2d of the member 23 closing the recess i'l. It will be noted that the T-shaped web 253 divides the recess it into mutually insulated compartments for the elec= tric connections between the respective conductors 2i? and 26 and the contact member and that the base portion 2d of the member 23 is arranged flush with the exterior of the body i l and provides a cover for the recess. In order to secure the member 23 and body id together and thereby lock the parts in assembled relation, fastening means such as a staple 30 is passed through openings in the flange l adiacent the body portion of the strain relief and bent over against the exterior of the base portion 24 of the insulating member 23 as shown at 3i. The body portion ll of the strain relief is preferably recessed as shown at 32 in Pig. 2 to receive the staple so that it is flush with the exterior thereof. This groov also tends to establish the point at which the body of the strain relief folds back upon itself as shown in Fig. 3 and facilitates the assembly of the strain relief.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in connection with a strain relief for the flexible conductors of a wired fabric and a pair of rigid contact members, it will be understood that the teaching of the invention are applicable to other types of connectors such as the connections necessary between the flexible conductors of a wired fabric and the flexible conductors of an attachment cord.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a body oi insulating material having a recess formed therein opening on substantially perpendicular to said first con- ,ductors, each or the conductors of said second therewith to relieve the connections between said conductors from strain.

2., In combination, a body of insulating m terial having a recess formed therein openin one face thereof, a part-o: substantially par passages extending from one end of said so through a wall said recess, rigid confine positioned said. apertures and extending said recess, rigid means of insulating material including a web portion extending over said end of the wall of said recess and ngaging said rigid conductors in interlocking relation to prevent relative movement thereof with respect to said body of insulating material, a pair of flexible conductors connected respectively with said rigid conductors, and means for securing said flexible conductors in force transmitting relation with said rigid means of insulating material to relieve the connections between said conductors of strain.

3. In combination, a body of insulating material having a recess formed therein opening on one face thereof, a pair of parallel passages pair being connected with a different one of the conductors of the said first pair, rigid means of insulating material including a portion for subdividing said recess with one of said points being located in each subdivision of the recess and a plate portion substantially perpendicular to said first portion for closing said recess to form mutually insulated compartments for connections between said conductors, and means for securing all of said conductors to said rigid means of insulating material in force transmitting relation formed in said body and extending from one end of said body into said recess through a side wall thereof and in a direction substantially perpen-- dicular to the axis of said recess, a rigid conductor positioned in each of said openings and having a shouldered end-portion extending into said recess, a rigid plate member of insulating material positioned in said recess against said side wall and provided with spaced slots for reportion extending into said recess, a member of rigid insulating material comprising a base portion and an upstanding web portion, said web portion being provided with spaced openings for the reception of the shouldered ends of the rigid conductors, the base portion of said rigid means providing a cover for said recess and also means for positioning-said web portion with respect to said body to hold said rigid conductors in fixed position with respect to said body.

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